5 Cleaning Hacks For Your Home

No one looks forward to cleaning their home. But when the weekend rolls around, we’re all tasked with the same chores of dusting, vacuuming, scrubbing and polishing. It’s boring, time-consuming hard work. But it doesn’t have to be. Follow these five steps to make cleaning your home as easy as a walk through the park!

Shiny stove

Love to cook, but hate to clean? You’re not the only one. The biggest hassle for daily cooks is getting the grease and splatters out of the stovetop.

Here’s a surprising solution: car wax. It’s more of a preventative measure, but will make any future spills and splatters much easier to clean. Start by first cleaning your stovetop. Then apply the wax the same way you would when shining your car. Re-apply every couple of weeks, or when you feel the dirt and grime is getting harder to clean. Easy!

De-furring the Couch

Your cat Tobey has been bad—very bad. She got onto the couch again, and now it’s covered in cat hair. And you don’t own a lint brush!

That’s OK—just grab a roll of tape and tear off a generous strip. Know what you’ve made? A cat-hair catcher! Simply apply it sticky-side down to your couch and then tear it off to remove all those pesky hairs.

Sock It to ’Em

That wasn’t a tumbleweed that just rolled by—it was a giant dust bunny!

If you’re in the mood for hard work, you could wax your table and vacuum the couch. But if you’re looking for an easy way out, open up your sock drawer and find a nice pair of wool socks. You never thought you’d wear them when you got them as a Christmas present, but they make great dusters! Just put them on your hands like gloves and go to town on the furniture. The dust bunnies will be gone before you know it!

Stainless Steel Is No Big Deal

Your kitchen sink? Well, let’s just say it’s seen better days.

Luckily for you, there’s an easy way to clean it that requires no elbow grease. First, put a stopper in the sink. Then grab some powdered laundry detergent (it has to be powder—not the liquid stuff). Sprinkle it generously around the inside of the sink and then fill the sink with hot water. Let it sit for about an hour, then empty the sink. Rinse off the detergent suds, and your sink looks as good as new!

Carpet Capers

Oh, dear. This isn’t good. You just spilled red wine on your carpet and you’re expecting your guests to arrive in half an hour!

No problem. First soak up the excess wine by gently dabbing it with absorbent paper. Then make a quick spot cleaner by combining some OxiClean with water (as directed by packaging) in a spray bottle. Douse the area generously with a couple of spritzes and leave it to soak for 10 minutes. With a scouring pad, scrub the stain until it’s gone.

Share your favorite cleaning tips in the comments below!

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I use a wipe and shine fast detailer, car wax on the walls of my fiberglass shower enclosure. It helps the walls stay cleaner longer and gets the dirt and grime off, just like my car.
Don’t get any on the bottom of the shower, the wax/detailer will make it slippery.

What I do to remove my cat’s fur from upholstery. I have a Maine Coon cat and we’re talking major cat hair big time!
I take a slightly damp sponge and wipe down the furniture. The fur will ball up and is easy to remove. You’ll find a slightly oily feel too. It’s also removing some of the oil that’s on the cloth too.
The furniture might be slightly damp for a while but considering that this is cheaper and more effective than the masking tape method, it’s worth not sitting on your furniture for a bit. Just remember to use a slightly damp sponge.

I always thought that red wine spills meant death to carpet. I always try to be so careful but it’s good to know that it can come out. You’re right, having that happen before guests come over would be the worst! I’ll be sure to keep those supplies on hand to be prepared for the worst!

Another thing my mother used was to sprinkle salt on the spill right after you blot up the wine. The spill should be completely covered with salt. This draws up the red wine and wher it’s dry just vacuum it up.

Carpet Capers – Surely this can’t be right! After the OxiClean and water is applied and sits for 10 minutes, scrub it with a scouring pad until the stain is gone? When I hear “scouring pad” I think of a Brillo or S.O.S. pad which is basically steel wool with blue or pink colored soap already in them. What are you calling a scouring pad?

To keep my glass shower door clean, I wet a dryer sheet and wipe the doors with it. Rinse the doors with hot water and you can see through them again. I finish it with some Rain X spray and it keep the doors looking good for an extended time.